Food stand system

ABSTRACT

A food stand system with a plan view in the shape of an incomplete circle, with a flat top surface as a countertop, and a convex customer-facing surface. The stand contains a food preparation appliance having both cooking and refrigeration components. Sensors measure the appliance interior state, and provide data to an automated controller that controls appliance operation to prepare food for consumption.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No.16/012,878 filed Jun. 20, 2018, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE EMBODIMENTS

This invention relates to food stands and, in particular, to a foodstand system with enhanced operational and management features.

BACKGROUND

Food stands are commonly used to provide food, beverages, desserts, andother fare at events such as outdoor celebrations, block parties, andthe like. Typically, stands are set up in an ad hoc manner. They areindividually placed, provisioned, and operated, often one day at a time,at one event at a time. As such, there are ample opportunities toimprove many aspects of managing and operating food stands.

SUMMARY

According to an aspect of the disclosed embodiments, a food stand systemis provided comprising a support structure with a flat countertop and acharacteristic convex customer-facing surface, defining a compartmentalspace. A vertical brace is attached to each end forming an end piece. Afood preparation appliance is disposed within the compartment, with asensor operative to measure at least one physical characteristic of theappliance or of food prepared therein. A processor operatively coupledto the sensor executes a procedure using sensed data, for preparing foodusing the appliance.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a heating componentand a cooling component within the food preparation appliance, arrangedto apply a range of temperatures to food prepared therein.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a platform coupledto the bottom of the support structure, having a power source disposedtherein arranged to provide power to the appliance in accordance with anenergy management procedure for operating the power source and theappliance. The power source may include a fuel cell that generatespower.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a towable trailerremovably coupled to the platform.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide an enclosure coupledto the platform defining a space surrounding the support structure, witha door mounted to the enclosure for entering and exiting the space.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a semicircularsupport structure configured to be separable into two parts along avertical plane, configured to accommodate a serving bar having two ends,each end removably attached to one of the two parts of the supportstructure. The serving bar may be one of a plurality of serving bars,each configured to be used for a different respective type of event.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a portable kitchenhaving at least a cooking surface, a sink with running water, coldstorage, and the food preparation appliance; wherein the processorautomatically manages the kitchen to provide food service on demand.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide food managementsoftware to integrate for food quality and control.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a back office serverconfigured to send and receive data carrying signals to and from one ormore parties interacting with the system, and to process the datareceived and generate the data sent.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a customer app torun on a customer device that interacts with the system, the customerapp including routines for creating a customer account on the backoffice server; to log in and out of the customer account, and updatecustomer-related information in the account; to present a menu includingfood item prices, information, and options; and to provide interfacesfor a shopping cart to hold food item selections, to submit theselections as an order, to pay for the order and track its status.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a seller app to runon a seller device that interacts with the system, the seller appincluding routines for creating a seller account on the server; to login and out of the seller account, and update seller-related informationin the account; to receive order information submitted by a customer;verify receipt of payment, send a confirmation message to the customer,update the order status, and send order pickup and delivery informationto a delivery device running a delivery app.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide a delivery app torun on a delivery device that interacts with the system, the deliveryapp including routines for creating a deliverer account on the server;to log in and out of the deliverer account, and update deliverer-relatedinformation in the account; to receive order delivery informationincluding an order pickup location, a delivery location map, and anorder delivery address and phone number; to confirm the order recipient;to send a delivery completed message to the order recipient; and to logan amount of time between order pickup and delivery.

It is an object of disclosed embodiments to provide software to run onthe back-office server including routines for accessing all customer-,seller-, and deliverer-input information; to manage a food preparationsite including managing inventory, sales information, receivables, andemployee time card info. The software may also include routines forupdating menu information such as food descriptions, cost, photo, andthe like; to manage food stand-related advertisements; to send specialoffers to mobile devices; to manage promotions such as loyalty cards andpoints for purchases; and to provide analytics, including salesprojections, actual sales, popular items, customer spending habits, andrecommendations to improve customer experience. Other functions mayinclude supplier notification of inventory low; order fulfillment;notifications to suppliers; data repository, including accounting,sales, and inventory data; generate reports; and to download data toauthorized users in predetermined formats.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a food stand in accordance withthe disclosure, in operation.

FIG. 2A shows an exemplary embodiment of one section of a food standdisposed on a trailer and ready to be towed.

FIG. 2B shows two portions of a food stand, each disposed on arespective trailer, positioned to facilitate assembly into a single foodstand.

FIG. 2C shows a front perspective view of an exemplary food stand, or afood stand section embodiment, comprising straight sides.

FIG. 3A shows the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A with hitch and wheelsremoved, resting on a flat surface.

FIG. 3B shows two portions of a food stand with hitches and wheelsremoved.

FIG. 4A shows the service area of an exemplary food stand embodiment inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 4B shows a cutaway view of wiring and piping for devices in anexemplary food stand similar to that shown in FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is a water system diagram of an exemplary food stand inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 4D is a diagram of an exemplary food preparation appliance inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of an exemplary food stand embodiment inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIGS. 6A and 6B show perspective views of two exemplary food standconfigurations in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a side view of a portion of an exemplary food standconfiguration in accordance with the disclosure.

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 show cutaway side views of exemplary food standconfigurations, with and without a transparent enclosure disposed on thecountertop, in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 11 shows a plan view of an exemplary food stand and platform, inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D show exemplary food stand enclosureembodiments in accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of exemplary computer components operable toexecute aspects of the disclosed system in accordance with thedisclosure.

FIG. 14 is a simplified block diagram of an illustrative computingframework suitable for realizing aspects of the disclosed system.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment forprocessing aspects of the disclosed system in accordance with thedisclosure.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for use by a customerin accordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for use by a seller inaccordance with the disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for use by a delivererin accordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of exemplary embodiments of the claimed invention will now bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which identical elementshave the same reference numerals. These embodiments are provided by wayof explanation of the present invention, which is not intended to belimited thereto. Those of ordinary skill in the art may appreciate uponreading the present specification and viewing the present drawings thatvarious modifications and variations can be made thereto. In addition,it is noted the disclosure pertains to embodiments that may include anyof food stands, café s, food kiosks, and the like. Unless the contextindicates otherwise, the term “food stand” may be used herein to referto any and all such embodiments.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a food stand 100 in use at anoutdoor function. As shown, servers are in the service area to takeorders, process transactions, prepare the orders, provide the orders tothe customers, and the like. The configuration shown includes a foodstand with a support structure 110 having a circular plan with a gapthrough which servers can enter and exit. The top of the supportstructure is flat, and may be used as a countertop 120. Acustomer-facing “front” surface 140 may have a characteristic convexshape, and the corresponding server-facing “back” surface may have aconcave surface. The support structure also has a bottom (not shown).The top, bottom, and back surface together define a compartment.

A horizontal shelf 130 is disposed within the compartment adjacent tothe back surface. A vertical brace 150 is attached to each end formingan end piece. One or more food preparation appliances 160 may bedisposed within the compartment, either sitting on top of the shelf orunderneath it. The appliance(s) 160 are each equipped with a sensor (notshown in FIG. 1) operative to measure at least one physicalcharacteristic of the appliance or of food prepared therein. A processoroperatively coupled to the sensor executes a procedure using senseddata, such as for directing and managing food preparation using theappliance.

In an embodiment, the food preparation appliance may comprise both aheating component and a cooling component, operatively coupled tosensors that are communicatively coupled to controller components. Thesemay be arranged to provide a large range of temperatures and perform aplurality of functions pertaining to food preparation, includingcomplete temperature management, initiation times, durations, and thelike, all of which may be programmed. Controlled and programmedtemperatures may include achieving and maintaining freezing,refrigerating, defrosting, cooking, retherming, and holding at apredetermined temperature. These may be used to take frozen food fromfrozen to ready-to-eat, and may also be used to chill and freeze alreadycooked or ready-to-eat food.

Referring now to FIG. 2A, an exemplary trailer 200 is shown fortransporting the food stand support structure 110 to and from an eventsuch as an outdoor celebration or the like. The support structure 110may simply be placed on the platform 210 and secured during transport,by straps for example; or the support structure 110 may be removably orpermanently coupled to the platform 210, such as with bolts or adhesive.As shown, trailer 200 comprises the platform 210 with support structure110 disposed thereon, a removable hitch 220 and removable wheels 230. Inembodiments, the hitch 220 may be attached at either end of the platform210. In embodiments, wheels 230 may be designed to be removed whenconfiguring a food stand. Such wheels may be held in place, for example,using removable pins 250, although other mechanisms for attaching andremoving the wheels may be used. Scissor jacks 240, or other mechanicalor hydraulic jacks, may be used to lower the platform 210 to the groundfor configuring a partial or complete food stand, and to raise theplatform 210 off the ground for configuration as a trailer.

FIG. 2B illustrates two trailers 210 carrying respective supportstructures 110, that can be arranged to form a single food stand. Whenconfiguring the trailers and support structures as a food stand, thetrailers can be secured together, for example, using coupling brackets270 secured at coupling points 260. The support structures similarly maybe provided with mechanisms to secure them together. Although twoplatforms 210 with two support structures 110 are shown, more than twoplatforms and support structures, having the same or differentdimensions and plan views, may additionally or alternatively be used toassemble a food stand with a different configuration. Different supportstructure plan views can include, for example, portions of conicsections such as a quarter circle or half an ellipse (not shown), orhaving straight sides meeting at arcuate abutments, as illustrated inFIG. 2C. Of course, support structure segments having other shapes mayadditionally or alternatively be used.

FIG. 3A shows the platform 210 with hitch and wheels removed and restingon the ground. As shown, the platform 210 may be provided with an openenclosure, for example, comprising a louvered top panel 310 supported bybraces 320 attached to the platform 210. The louvers of the top panel310 may be open as shown, or may be closed (not shown) in embodiments toprovide protection from rain and sun. FIG. 3B illustrates a pair ofplatforms 210 and support structures 110 in position to be pushedtogether and secured with braces or the like at coupling points, as hasbeen described relative to FIG. 2B.

FIG. 4A is a rear view of a food stand support structure 110, that has asemicircular plan view. As shown, a plurality of components are disposedwithin the compartment between the top and bottom of the structure.Those components can include a sink, food preparation appliances, tanks,and the like, that may require power, wiring, and/or piping to beoperational. FIG. 4B is a cutaway view showing wiring and piping 410disposed at the rear of the compartment defined by the structure. Braces150 are shown positioned as they would be inside the compartment. Thebraces 150 have holes 415 through which the wiring and piping pass. FIG.4C is an example of a utility diagram, in this case a water systemdiagram. As shown, the water is pumped into the system through the mainwater shut-off valve 420. The diagram shows the flow of water throughthe system to the gray water outlet 425. The water system provides waterto the food stand for functions that can generally be categorized aswater input and filtration 430, beverage supply 435 including flat,carbonated, or both, brewing and steaming 440, such as for coffee andespresso, and ice production 445. The taps for the water-based productsare disposed above the counter top 450, while the other functionalelements are disposed under the counter 455 in the food stand supportstructure 110, such as chiller, boiler, brewer, etc. Other diagrams (notshown) may show other utilities, such as a wiring diagram (not shown) toshow electrical wiring, a network diagram showing network cabling andports, radio frequency access points and other air interfaces, and thelike.

FIG. 4D is a diagram showing elements of a food preparation appliance160. In embodiments, the appliance 160 contains sources for both heatand cold to produce a wide range of temperatures, indicated generally bydotted oval 460. A plurality of sensors, switches, and control elements465 are communicatively coupled to a controller 470. In embodiments, thecontroller may be communicatively coupled to one or more computingdevices, e.g., local devices via a wife antenna 475, or remote computingdevices or servers via a cellular antenna 480, or both. Accordingly,appliance 160 may be fully managed electronically, either locally orremotely, and may be programmable to perform any of its functions in anysequence and time frame. Because the appliance 160 can produce a widerange of temperatures, it is suitable for food preparation activitiesfrom cooking through freezing, such as defrosting and heating toready-to-eat, to holding at a temperature. In an embodiment, the door ofthe appliance can be locked and unlocked by a customer using an appdownloaded and installed onto their computing device, such as a smartphone. This allows the customer to access food within a compartment ofthe appliance after verification of payment, which may also be anelectronic payment effected using the app. Such an appliance may beconfigured to be stackable, and so may be implemented with any number ofcompartments as an automart, for example for use in a hotel conveniencestore, or for staff use unlocked for constant access.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a food stand embodiment. Here, the supportstructure 110 has a semicircular plan view and a curved front surface.The platform 210 is resting on the floor, and top panel 310 andsupporting braces 320 are also shown. In addition, the illustratedembodiment includes a plurality of lights, such as light emitting diodes(LEDs), disposed at various locations to provide illumination, hereincluding lighting 510 at the bottom of the support structure, under thetop panel, along the panel supports, and around the periphery of theplatform. The lighting may be selected to have a distinctive appearance,for example, by choosing lights of a particular intensity, color,placement, variability, and the like, which may constitute anidentifiable and protectable trade dress.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are perspective views of two exemplary food standsupport structure configurations. FIG. 6A shows a support structurehaving a semicircular plan view, whereas the support structure shown inFIG. 6B has a circular plan view, with a gap for entering and exitingthe central service area. As shown, both configurations include a shelf130. Of course, other configurations may be used without departing fromthe scope of the invention. For example, the support structure may bedivisible into a plurality of pieces, with other sections coupled to oneor more of them. For example, a semicircular support structure may bedivided in half, and a straight food bar section removably insertedtherebetween. Or, such alternate configurations may be permanentlyformed.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an exemplary supporting structure having alinear plan view. This embodiment includes a so-called sneeze guard orshield 710 disposed on the countertop 120 to prevent customer contactwith items on the countertop or in the server work area. The sneezeshield may simply be placed on the countertop, or may be temporarily orpermanently coupled thereto. As shown, the sneeze shield is formed fromflat transparent panels.

FIG. 8 is a cutaway side view of another embodiment with a sneeze shield810, in which the sneeze shield has a curved front surface co-extensivewith the front surface of the support structure, and a flat top surface.This cutaway view shows a vertical brace 150 with holes that wires andtubing may pass through.

FIG. 9 is a side cutaway view of another exemplary embodiment, whereinthe sneeze guard has yet another configuration. FIG. 10 is a sidecutaway view of an exemplary embodiment similar to that shown in FIG. 9,but without a sneeze shield. Of course, many other configurations may beused without departing from the scope of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a food stand embodiment comprising theplatform 210, and two curved end sections with a straight sectioninserted between them. The curved end section may alternatively becoupled together to form a roughly semicircular support structure (notshown). The straight section may be configured as a serving bar havingtwo ends, each end removably attached to one of the two parts of thedivided semicircular support structure. The straight central serving barmay be one of a plurality of swappable serving bars, each configured tobe used for a different respective type of event, or to provide adifferent arrangement of components.

As previously described, platform 210 has a power source 1110 disposedtherein, arranged to provide power to components of the food stand. Forexample, the power source 1110 may provide power to the appliance inaccordance with an energy management procedure for operating the powersource, the appliance, or both. The power source may be or include afuel cell that generates power from a fuel such as liquefied petroleumgas (LPG, a/k/a propane) or liquefied natural gas (LNG), or anotherliquid hydrocarbon fuel. In this embodiment, the power source 1110 mayprovide power directly to energy-consuming components, or it may chargebatteries 1120 which may also be disposed inside platform 210 for laterpower delivery, or both. Regardless, fuel for the power supply 1110 isstored in tanks 1130, which may be disposed under the countertop, or atany other convenient location. Also shown are hot and cold water tanks1140, 1145, sink 1150, food preparation appliance 160 coupled to one ormore sensors 1160, a microwave or other oven 1170, and a refrigerator1175. Other illustrated power consuming components include LED or otherlighting 510, for example disposed at a bottom edge of the supportstructure 110, the platform 210, or both. Also included may be a flatpanel display 1180, a wifi hotspot 1190, a security camera 1192, aspeaker or speaker system 1194 powered by an amplifier 1196. In acurrently preferred embodiment, flat panel display 1185 can show a menufor viewing by customers, among other things.

Turning now to FIGS. 12A, 12B, 12C, and 12D, a plurality of exemplaryenclosures 1210 are shown disposed around or coupled to the platform,defining a space surrounding the food stand support structure. Theenclosures are equipped with a door 1220 mounted thereto for enteringand exiting the space. Of course, other enclosures and food standembodiments may be used without departing from the scope of theinvention.

In the computer-related disclosure that follows, the terms “component”and “system” may include hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, or software executing on hardware, in addition to these termsas used in the foregoing disclosure. For example, a computer-relatedcomponent may be or include a processor or a process running on aprocessor, a magnetic disk drive or other data storage drive, a softwareor data object, an executable program or routine, or the like. By way ofillustration, an application running on a computer and the computer canbe a component of a system. A component can be localized in onecomputing device or distributed between a plurality of computingdevices.

Furthermore, some or all of the computer-related disclosure may beimplemented using standard programming and/or engineering techniques toproduce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof toautomate and/or control aspects of the disclosed matter. The term“article of manufacture” is intended to encompass a tangible datastorage device or medium storing computer readable instructions thatcause a computing environment to perform certain actions. For example, acomputer readable medium can include a magnetic storage device such as ahard disk, an optical disk such as a compact disk (CD) or digitalversatile disk (DVD), a flash memory such as a USB thumb drive, and thelike. It should also be appreciated that electrical or electromagneticsignals can be used to convey computer-readable electronic data betweennetwork-attached devices. For example, such data carrying signals can betransmitted and received, for example, over a network such as theInternet or a local area network (LAN). Those skilled in the art willrecognize many modifications may be made to the following illustrativeconfigurations without departing from the scope or spirit of the claimedsubject matter.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary computing deviceoperable to execute aspects of the disclosed system. In particular, FIG.13 and the corresponding discussion are intended to provide a brief,general description of a suitable computing environment 1300 in whichthe various aspects of the claimed subject matter can be implemented.Generally, program modules can include routines, programs, components,data structures, etc., that can be used to perform particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types. However, those skilled in theart will appreciate that other computer system configurations may beused to implement portions of the disclosed subject matter, such assingle-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, cloud-basedsystems, personal computers, hand-held computing devices such as smartphones, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, andthe like, any of which can be operatively coupled to any number ofassociated devices.

The illustrated aspects of the disclosed embodiments may also bepracticed in distributed computing environments in which certain tasksare performed by remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In such a distributed computing environment,computer programs or portions of programs can be stored and/or executedlocally, remotely, or both.

Referring now to FIG. 13, an illustrative computing environment 1300 forimplementing various aspects of the disclosed embodiments includes acomputer 1302 having a processing unit 1304, a system memory 1306 and asystem bus 1308. The system bus 1308 couples system components includingthe system memory 1306 to the processing unit 1304. The system bus 1308may further connect to a memory bus (with or without a memorycontroller), a peripheral bus such as a universal serial bus (USB), orother local bus using any of a variety of commercially available busarchitectures. The system memory 1306 may include read only memory (ROM)1310 and random access memory (RAM) 1312. A basic input/output system(BIOS) may be stored in a non-volatile memory 1310, such as a ROM,EPROM, EEPROM, or the like. The BIOS contains the basic routines thathelp to transfer information between elements within the computer 1302,such as during start-up. The RAM 1312 can be or include a high-speedmemory such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer 1302 includes one or more data storage devices, such ashard disk drives (HDD) 1314, which may be disposed inside and/or outsideof a suitable chassis. As shown, computer 1302 also includes a drive1316 for use with a removable magnetic storage medium 1318 on which datacan be written and read from, and an optical drive 1320 for use with aremovable optical disk 1322 such as a CD or DVD. The hard disk drive1314, magnetic disk drive 1316 and optical disk drive 1320 can beconnected to the system bus 1308 via a hard disk drive interface 1324, amagnetic disk drive interface 1326 and an optical drive interface 1328,respectively.

The drives and their associated computer-readable media providenonvolatile storage of electronic data, data structures,computer-executable instructions, and the like. For example, the mediamay store computer-executable instructions that, when executed on theprocessor 1304, cause the computer to perform the automated methods ofthe disclosed subject matter.

Program modules and the like can be fetched from a nonvolatile storagedevice and held in RAM 1312 for speedy execution and access, includingan operating system 1330, one or more application programs 1332, otherprogram modules 1334, and program data 1336.

Commands and information can be entered into the computer 1302 throughone or more wired/wireless input devices, such as a keyboard 1338 and apointing device 1340. These and other input devices may be connected tothe processing unit 1304 through input device interface 1342 coupled tothe system bus 1308, which may be a USB port for example. A monitor 1344or other display device is also connected to the system bus 1308 via aninternal or external video interface, such as a video adapter 1346.

The computer 1302 may operate in a networked environment using physicalor logical connections via wired and/or wireless communications to oneor more remote computers, such as remote computer(s) 1348. The remotecomputer(s) 1348 can include one or more of a workstation, a servercomputer, a router, a personal or portable computer, any of which mayinclude some or all of the elements described in connection with thecomputer 1302. For example, a network attached storage device 1350 isillustrated, and can be accessed by computers and other network attacheddevices. The logical connections depicted include wired/wirelessconnectivity to a local area network (LAN) 1352 and can also includelarger networks, such as the Internet.

For example, when used in a LAN networking environment, the computer1302 is connected to the local network 1352 through a wired or wirelesscommunication network interface or adapter 1356. The adaptor 1356 mayfacilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 1352, which mayalso include a wireless access point disposed thereon for communicatingwith the wireless adaptor 1356. In a networked environment, programmodules depicted with regard to the computer 1302, or portions thereofcan be stored in the remote memory/storage device 1350. It will beappreciated that the network connections shown are illustrative andother means of communication between computers can be used.

The computer 1302 may be operable to communicate with any wirelessdevices or entities operatively disposed in wireless communication,e.g., a printer, scanner, desktop and/or portable computer, portabledata assistant, communications satellite, any piece of equipment orlocation associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk,news stand, telephone). This can include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wirelesstechnologies, for example. Thus, the communication means can be apredefined structure as with a conventional network or simply an ad hoccommunication between at least two devices.

WiFi is a technology for wireless local area networking with devicesbased on the IEEE 802.11 standards. It can be used, for example, toenable a user communications device to wirelessly connect to a networkaccess point from a short distance away (e.g., 50 feet or more). Wi-Finetworks use radio technologies called IEEE 802.11x (a, b, g, etc.) toprovide reliable, fast, securable wireless connectivity. A Wi-Fi networkcan be used to connect computers to each other, to the Internet, and toother wired and/or wireless networks (which use IEEE 802.3 or Ethernet).

Wi-Fi networks can operate in the unlicensed 2.4 and 5 GHz radio bandsor other available bands. IEEE 802.11 applies to generally to wirelessLANs and provides 1 or 2 Mbps transmission in the 2.4 GHz band usingeither frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) or direct sequencespread spectrum (DSSS). IEEE 802.11a is an extension to IEEE 802.11 thatapplies to wireless LANs and provides up to 54 Mbps in the 5 GHz band.IEEE 802.11a uses an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM)encoding scheme rather than FHSS or DSSS. IEEE 802.11b (also referred toas 802.11 High Rate DSSS or Wi-Fi) is an extension to 802.11 thatapplies to wireless LANs and provides 11 Mbps transmission (with afallback to 5.5, 2 and 1 Mbps) in the 2.4 GHz band. IEEE 802.11g appliesto wireless LANs and provides 20+Mbps in the 2.4 GHz band. Products cancontain more than one band (e.g., dual band), so the networks canprovide real-world performance similar to the basic 10 BaseT wiredEthernet networks used in many offices.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is illustrated a schematic block diagramof an illustrative computing environment 1400 for processing thedisclosed architecture in accordance with other aspects of the disclosedembodiments. The system 1400 includes one or more client computers 1402.The client(s) 1402 can include hardware and/or software (e.g., computingdevices, execution threads and other processes). The client(s) 1402 canstore location and other contextual information in disclosedembodiments.

The system 1400 also includes one or more server(s) 1404. The server(s)1404 can also include hardware and/or software (e.g., threads,processes, computing devices). The clients 1402 and servers 1404 canexecute threads to perform functions in the disclosed embodiments. Forexample, communication between a client 1402 and a server 1404 can be inthe form of data packets adapted to be transmitted between two or morecomputer processes. The data packets may include contextual and otherinformation, for example. The system 1400 includes a communicationframework 1406 (e.g., a global communication network such as theInternet) that can be used for communications between the client(s) 1402and the server(s) 1404.

Such communications may be facilitated via a wired (including opticalfiber) and/or wireless technology. In embodiments, the client(s) 1402may be operatively coupled to one or more client data store(s) 1408 thatcan be employed to store information local to the client(s) 1402.Likewise, the client(s) 1402 and the server(s) 1404 may be operativelyconnected to one or more server data store(s) 1410 that can be employedto store information local to the servers 1404, or otherwise operativelycoupled to the network.

In embodiments, a computing processor may be communicatively coupled toone or more components of the food stand. The processor mayautomatically manage aspects of the food stand. For example, sensor(s)1160 may be communicatively coupled to the processor, which may beremotely located in a back office as part of a back office server. Inembodiments, the processor may be configured to provide food service ondemand, for example, in an automated kiosk embodiment. These and otherembodiments may include food management software for execution on theprocessor to provide for food preparation quality and control.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing aspects of food stand managementsystem wherein devices from various parties may be communicativelycoupled to a back office computing environment, for example, over anetwork, which may include portions or aspects of the Internet 1500. Theback office computing environment may include, for example, a server1510 operatively coupled to a network attached storage (NAS) device1520. Data stored in the server or NAS may include transaction data1530, advertising data 1535, employee records 1540, and other data 1545.Transaction and other data may be communicated to and from the backoffice server 1510 over the Internet 1500 by various parties' devices,as well as other devices, for example in connection with foodstand-related transactions, operations, management, and features. Thatis, back office server 1510 may be configured to send and receive datacarrying signals to and from one or more devices associated with a foodstand, and/or devices used by parties interacting with the food standsystem, and to process the data received and generate the data sent. Forexample, devices used by parties to a transaction can include a customercommunication device 1550, a seller communication device 1560, and adelivery service communication device 1570.

Back office server 1510 may also be communicatively coupled to variousdevices 1580 associated with a food stand. These may include, forexample, some or all of the powered components described in connectionwith FIG. 11. Server 1510 may execute routines, for example, to effectefficient operation and management of aspects of embodiments. Server1510 may provide one or more of corporate access to food standinformation, on site management, access to the devices of any number offood stands, inventory control, sales tracking, invoicing andreceivables management, employee time card information, individual foodstand menu updates including item descriptions, cost, images, and thelike. Additional functionality may include food safety controls, foodtemperature logs, and storing data regarding food sourcing, handling,and chain of custody, such as for compliance to local, state, andfederal laws and regulations; status and control of appliancetemperatures. Other functionality that may be provided by the backoffice server may include one or more application programminginterfaces, management of advertisements and promotions, and specialscommunicated to mobile devices of existing or potential customersproximate a food stand, and customer loyalty programs that use cards,points, or the like.

Back office server 1510 may also provide customer data analytics such assales projections based on actual transactions, identifying popular menuitems, customer spending habits, and other analyses calculated toimprove customer experience. Automated notifications can also beprovided based on various predetermined criteria. For example, ordersfor supplies can be automatically placed when the amount of particularitems in inventory fall below respective predetermined thresholds. Orderfulfillment can be tracked and confirmed. Suppliers can even be directedby the back office to deliver specific ordered inventory items tospecific food stands. Of course, other common back office functionalityrelated to data storage, notifications to food stand managers if out ofcompliance range, equipment failures, and the like; and access can alsobe provided relating to accounting, sales, inventory, report generation,data conversion to predetermined or select formats for export, and thelike.

Exemplary embodiments can include one or more fully automated kiosks1590. These can be operated and managed remotely from the back office.Kiosks can be managed not only to improve operational performance atindividual locations, and can also be collectively managed to improveoperational performance of a plurality of locations considered as agroup.

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram showing a method for use with a customerdevice 1550 that interacts with the food stand system. The method beginswith a customer downloading an customer app from an app store andinstalling it on the customer device, 1610. The customer app includesroutines for interacting with the system. After installation, thecustomer app can be launched 1620. The app can be used by the customerto register with the system by creating a customer account on the backoffice server 1530. Registration may include the customer providingtheir name, delivery address, phone number, and payment information,which may be stored on server 1510 or NAS 1520. The app may be able toidentify food stand locations near to the customer delivery address forselection by the customer of a default location 1640, which may also bestored with the customer information. The customer can then use the appto log in and out of the customer account and update customer-relatedinformation in the account. The customer can also use the app to view amenu of the food stand at the default location, including food itemprices, information, and options 1650. The customer can select itemsfrom the menu, and hold the selections in a shopping cart. When ready,the customer can submit the selections as an order 1660, and pay for theorder. In an embodiment, the customer can track the status of the orderusing the app until accepting delivery 1670.

Similarly, FIG. 17 is a flow diagram showing a method for use with aseller device 1560 executing a seller app to interact with the system.The seller app includes routines for creating a seller account on theserver; to log in and out of the seller account, and updateseller-related information in the account; to receive order informationsubmitted by a customer; verify receipt of payment, send a confirmationmessage to the customer, update the order status, and send order pickupand delivery information to a delivery device running a delivery app. Inparticular, the exemplary illustrated method begins when the sellerdevice at the default seller location (or other seller location selectedby the customer for this order) receives an order from a customer 1710.Payment for the order is confirmed 1720, and an order confirmation maybe texted to the customer's smartphone if applicable 1730. The sellerthen prepares the order, and arranges order delivery 1740. The sellercan receive a confirmation message when delivery is completed 1750.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram showing a method for use with a delivererdevice 1570 executing a deliverer app to interact with the system. Thedeliverer app includes routines for creating a deliverer account on theserver; to log in and out of the deliverer account, and updatedeliverer-related information in the account; to receive order deliveryinformation submitted by a seller including an order pickup location, adelivery location map, and an order delivery address and phone number;to confirm the order recipient; to send a delivery completed message tothe order recipient; and to log an amount of time between order pickupand delivery; to send a pickup confirmation message to the customer,update the delivery status, and send delivery-related messages. Inparticular, the exemplary illustrated method begins when the delivererdevice 1570 receives a delivery alert 1810 from the seller that an ordermust be delivered. The deliverer device also receives delivery details1820. When the order is ready, it is picked up from the seller and anupdate message is sent to the customer 1830. The order is delivered tothe customer 1840, and a message confirming delivery can be sent to atleast one of the customer and the seller 1850.

As noted, the back-office server is configured to execute routines foraccessing all customer-, seller-, and deliverer-input information; tomanage a food preparation site including managing inventory, salesinformation, receivables, and employee time card info. The software mayalso include routines for updating menu information such as fooddescriptions, cost, photo, and the like; to manage food stand-relatedadvertisements; to send special offers to mobile devices; to managepromotions such as loyalty cards and points for purchases; to providefood safety logs and equipment status logs, to change temperatures andsettings remotely through wifi or cloud; and to provide analytics,including sales projections, actual sales, popular items, customerspending habits, and recommendations to improve customer experience.Other functions may include supplier notification of inventory low;order fulfillment; notifications to suppliers; storing data includingaccounting, sales, and inventory data; generate reports; and to downloaddata to authorized users in predetermined formats.

A challenge addressed by disclosed embodiments and aspects includeproviding an appliance for easy and efficient preparation of food. Asnoted, the appliance can be controlled and programmed either locally orremotely. Because it includes both a source of heat and a source ofrefrigeration, it is capable of handling all temperature cycles fromfrozen to cooked and ready-to-eat. In embodiments, the appliance is alsoeasy to load with frozen foods, cooks the food, and keeps it warm untilit's time to eat. In embodiments, inventory can be stocked, locked, andaccessed by access code permission. In embodiments, access may beprovided to customers via a vending application that communicates withthe appliance 160.

In an embodiment, one aspect of the appliance 160 may be realized as asous vide oven appliance (not shown), preferably disposed undercounterin a food stand, or on a wall in a vending application such as hotellobbies, convenience stores, or offices. In embodiments, the appliance160 may comprise one or more compartments such as drawers. Eachcompartment may have abilities independent of the others, including atleast a refrigeration component capable of freezing and coolingfunctions, and a heating component capable of high temperature bakingand lower temperature warming. The heating may be provided with orwithout convection, and with or without humidity functions. Venting maybe provided from each drawer through a one way valve. If a plurality ofvents are provided, all can terminate in the same vent pipe. Inembodiments, an electronic module is provided for controlling allfunctions. The module can be configured to control a single drawer, or aplurality of drawers. Controlled and/or programmable functions caninclude freezing, thawing, cooling, baking, and warming; humidity,temperature, date, time, function start and/or stop time(s), functionduration, sequences of functions, and storing function sequences asprograms. The electronic module may be programmable for all functions,defined independently, and controllable locally or remotely via acontrol panel coupled to the appliance, or via a PC, Tablet, Smartphone,etc., or as part of the so-called Internet of things (IoT), with a wiredor wireless interface.

In embodiments, a prepared food packaging pan may have a barcode readeror the like that identifies packaged food item(s) for preparation in theappliance. The barcode may be used, for example, to define a programmingregimen for proper preparation of a barcode-identified prepackaged foodcontainer. The identity of such prepackaged food containers that havebeen prepared using the appliance can be recorded and saved forinventory tracking, and for automatically reordering/replenishingprepackaged food supplies.

In embodiments, each compartment may include safety features such asover/under temperature limit, smoke detection and mitigation, CO/CO₂concentration detection and mitigation, automatic water fill/drain,electrical supply over/under voltage, ground faultdetection/interruption, etc. The appliance is constructed using anysuitable durable materials and insulation to withstand temperatureextremes from deep freezing to baking and self-cleaning.

Each compartment may be accessible via a swing out door or a pulloutdrawer. The appliance may be configured to have a select number ofcompartments or chambers. The chambers may have the same or differentdimensions. In embodiments, the appliance can be configured to be placedon a countertop or shelf, or in a cabinet or other compartment, or itcan be configured for under counter or cabinet installation, or in-wallinstallation. In embodiments, a plurality of chambers may be stackableand/or reconfigurable.

In the foregoing, when introducing disclosed embodiment(s) or aspectsthereof, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean thatthere are one or more of the elements or aspects. Similarly, theadjective “another,” when used to introduce an element, is intended tomean one or more elements. The terms “including” and “having” areintended to be inclusive such that there may be additional elementsother than the listed elements.

Although the embodiments have been described with a certain degree ofparticularity, it is to be understood that the foregoing disclosure hasbeen made only by way of illustration and not limitation. Numerouschanges in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may bemade without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention asdefined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A food stand system comprising; A back officeserver having a transceiver operatively coupled to a server processorand a server memory device, configured to send and receive data carryingsignals to and from one or more parties interacting with the system,wherein the server memory device stores instructions for generating datasent and processing data received, and the processor is configured togenerate data sent and process data received.
 2. The food stand systemas recited in claim 1, wherein the signals include data received from acustomer device running a customer app that interacts with the system,the customer app including routines for: creating a customer account ona communicatively coupled server; logging in and logging out of thecustomer account; updating customer-related information in the customeraccount; presenting a menu including food item prices, information, andoptions; presenting a food stand locator map and a food stand selector;providing interfaces for: a shopping cart for holding food itemselections; order payment; order status tracking; order deliverytracking; and receiving order completion confirmation from seller. 3.The food stand system as recited in claim 1, wherein the signals includedata received from a seller device running a seller app that interactswith the system, the seller app including routines for: creating aseller account on the communicatively coupled server; logging in andlogging out of the seller account; updating seller-related informationin the seller account; receiving order information submitted by acustomer; verifying receipt of payment for the order; sending aconfirmation message to the customer; updating order status; sendingorder pickup and delivery information to a delivery device.
 4. The foodstand system as recited in claim 1, wherein the signals include datareceived from a delivery device running a delivery app that interactswith the system, the delivery app including routines for: creating adeliverer account on the communicatively coupled server; logging in andlogging out of the deliverer account; updating deliverer-relatedinformation in the deliverer account; receiving order deliveryinformation including an order pickup location, a delivery location map,and an order delivery address and phone number; confirming the orderrecipient; sending a delivery completed message to the order recipient;and logging an amount of time between order pickup and delivery.
 5. Thefood stand system as recited in claim 1, wherein the back office serverexecutes software including routines for: accessing all information; onsite manager; limited access to at least one café; inventory; sales;receivables; stock; time card info; local Menu updates (Description,Cost, Picture, Opt.); API; advertisements management; beacon/addsmanager; specials on mobile device; loyalty cards, Points;analytics—projections, actual, popular, spending habits, improvecustomer experience; supplier notification of inventory low; orderfulfillment; notifications to suppliers; data repository—accounting,sales, inventory; generate reports; download all data as Excel file; IPaddress, forwarding tracker; and menu control.